Party in the Park
Skyler’s second birthday (I feel like I JUST posted photos from her first birthday – crazy!). This post will be short on words, but long on pictures!
Cooper, my parents labrador, joined us for the party.
Exploring the park with Granny
Blowin’ out the candle (with Daddy’s help!)
Sharing cake with Gramma Oswald, and then rounds of sharing with everyone else
This year she was much more into opening presents. Though she didn’t quite realize she was the center of it all, she enjoyed finding out what was under the paper or inside the bag.
Not too sure about one of her new tricycles
But once Daddy made it go fast, she was all about it!
Onto the playground for swinging, of course.
Climbing up to the slide
She wouldn’t go down without Mommy
But Daddy wasn’t as nice!
Playing on the bench by Uncle Sterling
and with Gramma and Grampa Kelley
Practicing her jumps with Mommy’s help
Uncle Matt and Darci got quite a kick out of Skyler’s various park antics
Partys over, time to go home and play with all the new toys!
2 comments September 16, 2009
Magic Spell
This is the smile of someone who knows how to get what she wants. Even with oatmeal in her hair.
Add comment September 15, 2009
September 11
On September 11th, 2009, Skyler turned two! But of course, she still didn’t grasp the concept of her birthday. We greeted her in the morning with Happy Birthday’s & extra enthusiasm for the day, but to her, it was any ol’ day, headed to Darlene’s for another play day with Riley, Sydney, Ella, and the rest of the kids she asks for when she wakes up. Lately she’s wanted to take along several items with her to daycare, so I found the cute kitty-cat backpack that had been given to her by my friend as a babyshower gift, and thought now is the time for her to put it to use! But on our way out the door, she threw a fit because all her things were inside it and she couldn’t see them.
I dropped her off at daycare and headed to work. Of course, since this day is also a mournful day in our country’s history, I listened to the various radio tributes the rest of my way to work and remembered where I was that day in 2001. That eerie sad feeling came back to me as it does every year. I don’t think that feeling ever fades or gets weaker as the years go by, and I’m grateful for that. It seems some have forgotten the cruel attack on our country and the many deaths of the undeserving.
But since this day on 2007, I’ve had to balance the mourning and remembrance with the celebration of Skyler’s birthday. And for that, I am also grateful. Many friends and acquaintances have commented that “it’s too bad that is Skyler’s birthday” and apologized for how hard that must be for us. But I disagree. Skyler’s birthday signifies hope and life, just as every other birthday, so what better day to celebrate, than a day when hope seems hard to find?
After work & daycare, we celebrated by going to dinner at one of our favorite (oops I mean Skyler’s favorite) restaurants, and then, I don’t know if I should admit this or not, we took Skyler to the toy section of Wal-mart to pick out her present! Is that tacky and unceremonial? We have an excuse: We had planned to have everyone chip in and get her a swingset with slide, because she’s so obsessed with them. That was the plan until last week, when Ronnie’s Granny offered the nice swingset at her house to us, for free! So I hadn’t even thought about other presents for Skyler, and still felt we needed to buy her something. So we decided to let her pick some toys out.
We get to Wal-mart, and what does she go for? A $2 plastic ball. Like she already has at home and at both Grandma’s, and at daycare. Really, child? We try to skip it because she doesn’t need another toy ball, and head for the aisle of age-appropriate toys. She proceeds to have a dramatic breakdown in front of the Dora & Elmo dolls, so we give in and let her have another new $2 ball. Even though that is all she cares about, Ronnie and I go ahead and pick out an educational Leap Frog computer thingy and a Magna Doodle Pro. Oh, and some magnetic letters for the fridge.
We have a party at the park with family this Sunday, so we let her play with the ball but we are wrapping everything else so she can open it then. She doesn’t care anyway, since the only thing she cares about is that cheap ball. Which she brought with her to bed for this afternoon’s nap!
1 comment September 12, 2009
Smartypants
“Daddy ride the bike”
“Where Mommy go?”
“Music on. Daddy fixed!” (Turn on the music box that Daddy just put new batteries in)
“Baby change diaper” (regarding her baby doll)
—
She’s putting sentences together! It amazes me. And every day it’s a new sentence or word combination. And she repeats everything we say. EVVV-ERY-THING. It’s really time to start watching our mouths and be careful that only child-appropriate things are being said in front of her. Even if she doesn’t always know what it means, she will say it! And that could be so embarrassing at the wrong time!
What’s weird and eye-opening to me is the stuff that she hasn’t learned from us but has learned elsewhere, like from her grandmas and from daycare. For instance today, she was exceptionally whiney and tantrumous (new word?), so I threatened her with “timeout.” Now to clarify, I have only done timeout with her twice, and it has been months. Like I’m talkin’ six months ago. I put her in her crib and went and got her once she calmed down. So I didn’t really think that today, six months later, she would be phased by a timeout threat. But how did she react? She shrugged up her shoulders, turned around, and continued the tantrum while stomping her way to her room, where she went to the corner and sat down cross-legged in the corner. So I played right along and told her to sit there until she could calm down. Five minutes of her screaming and whining (it went up and down in pitch and frequency SEVERAL times), she reduced herself to sniffles, and I went to talk to her. And she was still sitting in that corner. We “talked,” hugged, and all was well for the rest of the evening.
That whole timeout/go-sit-in-the-corner thing is something she definitely did not learn here. Which also makes me realize that my supposed little sweet well-behaved angel has maybe not been so well-behaved at daycare, if she knows so well exactly how timeout seems to work!
Sometimes I feel like I just can’t keep up with her mentally. I really don’t give her enough credit for what she knows and how fast she’s learning. No wonder she gets bored and frustrated with me so often; I think I’m still treating her like she’s an infant and not a little girl! Agghhh, she’s growing up so fast!
2 comments September 2, 2009
Bikers for Babies – Here we Come!
Ever since Skyler went through her ordeal, I’ve wanted to be a part of Bikers for Babies. This is an awesome charity event that happens nationwide, but the Kansas City Bikers for Babies is the largest March of Dimes charity ride in the nation, and one of the largest rides for any charity in the Midwest. And what melts your heart more than seeing a bunch (try a couple thousand) of rough-and-tough men and women, many decked out in their leathers, all convening to ride for a few hours together, after raising money to help babies get born healthy? It’s pretty sweet.
Last year we didn’t have our bike yet, but I was hoping maybe I could ride with my dad on his. But unfortunately the event fell on the same day we were celebrating Skyler’s first birthday, so there was way to much to do for me to get away and ride with my dad. But this year, it falls a week after Skyler’s birthday, so Ronnie and I, along with my parents, brother, and a couple other friends, have all registered to ride on September 20. We’re even going to try and get t-shirts made with Skyler’s photo on it as we ride in her honor!
Since it’s a charity event, we need help to raise money. Our registration fees of $35 already goes toward the fundraising, but we know with the help of our family and friends, we can do better than that! It’s really easy to donate securely online, or you can contact either of us if you’d rather write a check or send cash.
P.S. – Ronnie and I are competing against each other to see who can raise the most. So, take your pick, and click one of our names to donate to whichever one of us you want to win! Ronnie or Lori
I will also have the Bikers for Babies logo in the upper right of the blog until the ride, which also links right to my online donation form. So, please donate for this great cause. And if you know anyone that likes to ride, tell them to register and join us on September 20th!
Add comment September 1, 2009
This and That
Yesterday we had a family portrait session with Rebecca, and this time to include a lot more of the family: my parents, my brothers, and my Grandma. We met Rebecca down in the West Bottoms area of downtown to get some unique urban shots instead of the traditional park setting we’ve done in the past. Various things happened leading up to the shoot that made me think I should’ve cancelled until another time, like Skyler’s bad hair day (that NEVER happens), or the mosquito that bit her cheek on the ride there. And then as we got out of our cars at the first meeting place, when the fighter jets flew right overhead because the KC Airshow was going on less than a mile away, I knew this was a disaster waiting to happen. Skyler buried her face and slapped her hands over her ears in terror.
But we trudged on through to some alleyways, and luckily, the airshow took a long and quiet break so we got in lots of uninterrupted shots. Rebecca showed me several previews on her camera throughout the session, and I was so excited by what I saw! It’s going to be a couple weeks till we see all the images, but I’m now confident that it was worth the hurdles and I’m glad we stuck it out! I don’t know how I would’ve been able to coordinate everyone’s schedules again during nice weather without having to wait another year!
In other news, we have a fun Fall coming up, and this recent mild weather is getting me into the mood for the cooldown. Skyler’s birthday is fast approaching, we’ll be riding in our first Bikers for Babies the week after that, a girls’ trip to Hermann Missouri for winery tours, and then a Chief’s game at the end of October. Oh, and I suppose this will be Skyler’s first real Halloween since she’ll be old enough for trick-or-treating! So we have a lot to look forward to, which will pretty much carry us into November, which is Holiday time, and then all of a sudden it’s going to be 2010. Yikes.
1 comment August 25, 2009
pa-wree (potty)
It has begun.
My single-most dreaded parenting phase (at least until the teenage years): potty training.
I haven’t been in a hurry for this one, and honestly, still am not. But, we are taking steps to sort of prepare for it, and while I don’t want to get ahead of anyone here, Skyler seems to be in much more of a hurry than we are. Sure, I’ll take it!
- She knows what poop and pee are, though doesn’t seem to recognize before the fact.
- She loves to be present during Mommy & Daddy’s necessary bathroom trips, and likes to tell us what we’re doing, get the toilet paper ready, and flush the toilet.
- She wants to take her pants off and sit on the big toilet, though of course we have to help hold her up there. She likes to go through the act of wiping and flush her own toilet paper.
I talked to Darlene at her daycare last Wednesday to let her know we were thinking about potty training, and ask her thoughts on the subject, as well as coordinate the efforts for consistency. She was very adamant that we don’t rush Skyler (no problem here since I’m dreading it anyway), and that she didn’t think Skyler was anywhere near ready. Though she did mention Skyler liked to join her friend Sydney in the bathroom when Sydney goes. Okay, well nevermind then, I thought.
The very next day, Skyler pooped in the potty. AT DAYCARE.
Darlene was as shocked as I was. She said when Sydney went, Skyler wanted to sit down next, so she half-seriously told her “You can’t get up unless you pee-pee or poop, and then you can have a jelly bean.” She said Skyler wanted to stay in there, and after about ten minutes of quietly sitting, she succeeded. Darlene and Sydney both cheered for Skyler, though she showed no reaction whatsoever.
So I went and bought a potty. And Skyler was been obsessed with it since we brought it home yesterday. It’s her “pa-wree” and she carries it everywhere, sitting on it all the time, or putting Pink Bear on it. Her Grandma Oswald told her yesterday to “make it brown”, after which Skyler has been chanting that same phrase like a mantra every time she sits on it. My daughter is weird.
Today after her bath, I let her sit on the potty before putting her diaper on, and of course she wanted to stay there and play for awhile. I checked on her after a few minutes and sure enough, she pee-pee’d in it! She still didn’t act like she knew that was any big deal, but I cheered, we clapped our hands, and went through the motions of wiping, flushing, and washing hands.
I guess she’s into it – at least she’s not afraid of it or completely clueless. We’ll just keep on playing it by ear and who knows, maybe she’ll be potty trained a lot easier than I was expecting! Or not, but at least she’s off to a good start.
3 comments August 22, 2009
One of Those Nights Again
If it’s not the annoyance of a whiney child, it’s the monotony of just another typical evening alone at home with a toddler. Ronnie has worked till eight the last two nights, and OMG are these some looooong evenings.
And it’s not the kind of boredom because there is nothing to do, it’s because all the normal things to do that must be done (fold laundry, pay bills, grocery shop, etc) are just such a drag. And it’s all an endless cycle, which is probably the crappiest thing about all that.
I actually dread 5 o’clock at work because I don’t want to face another evening like this. I long for the ability to leave work and maybe act on the impulsive thought to go to the mall or have a nice long workout, because it’s what I want to do and isn’t dependent on anyone else and no one else is dependent on me. It’s all those reasons I never wanted children that sort of rise up against me now and then, like a little devil on my shoulder, reminding me of how things used to be.
But I wouldn’t trade it. No, never would I trade Skyler for that life again. I just sometimes wish I could modify things in this life a bit. Like have the option of not having her daycare as part of my route twice a day every day. I dream of leaving work, knowing that Ronnie has gathered Skyler and her belongings and brought her home safely, is getting her dinner ready, and I can either go run some errands or just come home to an evening that’s already being taken care of by someone else. I’ve experienced this a precious few glorious times when Ronnie’s workday has allowed. But they are so few and far between.
Someday Skyler will be in school and maybe riding a bus that delivers her to and from home, and then not long after that she’ll be old enough to be home alone. None of tonight’s complaints will matter, and I’ll be missing her littleness. I won’t get the kisses, and will no longer be reading books with her in my lap and rocking her before bedtime. It will all be different.
This life is such a dichotomy.
And I’m not even PMSing. Promise.
3 comments August 20, 2009
The Good Life
Ronnie recently made a big decision to step down from his Fitness Manager position at the gym and just focus on personal training. A part of his decision was for financial reasons, and the other part was personal. The management position was causing him a fair amount of stress, taking the joy out of doing something he loves. So now he’s doing only the part he loves, which also includes working fewer hours during the day, and being able to leave as soon as his last appointment in the evening is done. While managing, he used to have every intention of leaving after his final appointment, but then managerial duties would call, and he’d be required to stay later.
I don’t know if either of us realized how much positive this change would bring us. First, I didn’t realize how stressed out Ronnie was every evening and weekend until the stress was gone. He is like a different person now when he walks through the door after work; much more relaxed and in a lighter mood.
Second, he usually has a few free hours during the middle part of the day that he used to do admin work. Now, he uses those hours to take a nap, go for a motorcycle ride, run errands, or best of all, come home and CLEAN THE HOUSE. That last item has been nearly the best thing about all of this. Though he’s not home much more to help me with Skyler, his coming home and cleaning has taken such a weight off the things for me when I’m home alone with Skyler. There is just such an amazing, peaceful feeling of walking into a clean house, even if your hands are full of Toddler & Toddler Accessories, after they’ve whined the entire way home from daycare.
I’m sad to say this for the risk of sounding terribly materialistic and shallow, but the new state of cleanliness in our home has made me a happier person all around, and certainly improved Ronnie’s and my relationship. One of my favorite mom bloggers described this phenomena rather comically (as usual) in the last paragraph of this post. Ha ha.
The ultimate result of these changes is more enjoyable family time. As they say, when momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy, and of course the opposite holds true. We spent a lovely Friday evening last night at one of our favorite Westport restaurants, McCoy’s with Skyler charming all the restaurant staff and guests, followed by stopping at not one, but two parks around the neighborhood. Another family of young ones at the second park commented how it’s funny the way as parents we spend our Friday evenings nowadays. Yep, we still “partied” in Westport last night, but not the way we used to. And it’s still a great life.
3 comments August 15, 2009
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